Reno 911!: Miami More Busted Than Ever Unrated DVD Review

This triple dip delivers on the promise of its title.

The danger with moving comedy from the small to big screen is that, often, concepts that work in short installments do not translate into laughs when stretched into a longer format. Perfect examples would be any of the Saturday Night Live movies from the late '90s. Luckily, Reno 911!: Miami does not fall into this trap. Instead, it is the perfect extension of an already hilarious show, and its move for an R rating was a wise decision. Reno 911!: Miami is the TV show unleashed, and once it loosens the belt, it is a marvel and a joy to behold.

For those unfamiliar with the Comedy Central Reno 911! show, it is an improv-based spoof on TV police series like Cops, only the Reno police department is made up of the most inappropriate, racist, horniest, befuddled and generally hilarious cops this side of L.A. Throughout the course of the show, the cameras ride along and catch their lack of professionalism, perpetual law-breaking and all-around buffoonery and package it mockumentary-style. The show has enjoyed a great deal of success on Comedy Central, leading to four seasons and several decked-out DVD sets and compilations.

The video quality of this release hasn't been altered here, for better or worse. Presented in the original 1.85:1 widescreen theatrical ratio, the extra footage is of the same quality as the rest of the film, which is to say mostly handheld documentary-style digital video. The higher production values and authentic Miami locations also make for a more visually appealing presentation than the much rougher television version of the show. Like the previous versions, the transfer is adequate. There wasn't any noticeable artifacting this time at least. Overall, the video quality is still better than average for what it is.

Score: 7 out of 10

Languages and Audio

The audio is pretty much the same story, once again. Delivered in Dolby 5.1 surround in English (with optional Spanish and French surround tracks) Rest assured, what was displayed in theaters is accurately brought home. Reno 911!: Miami relies almost exclusively on the dialogue (often captured with lo-fi on-board or handheld mics) to tell its story, and it comes through clearly in the center channels. It's nice to see that the quality is kept up in the restored scenes as well.

Score: 7 out of 10

Extras and Packaging

This is actually the third release of this film on DVD, following the original theatrical version and the first "unrated" edition. Apparently, due to the improvisational style of the production, there was a lot of footage left on the cutting room floor. At one point in the commentary, writer and star Thomas Lennon admits that the first cut of the film ran over three hours long. Bringing it down to a workable length meant leaving enough for almost an entirely new edit of the film. The "lost version," running just over an hour, of the film (available in the special features section) comprises new scenes that weren't in either of the previous releases, as well as longer versions of previously released scenes.

The release also includes a digital copy, which can be transferred to a computer, video iPod, iPhone or other portable media player.

In the introduction to the lost version, the cast (in character) explains the need for the new cut (or as they call it "the one that fell on the floor"). It's reportedly "97.7 percent different" than the previous versions.

The all-new extended scenes include:

Suge Knight

Junior Talks to Girl at Hotel

Bush Twins

Dangle and Junior in Alley

Bits and pieces of these scenes have been seen before, but never like this. It's not hard to see why they were cut out of the film (some of them, like the "Bush Twins" segment, go on and on) , but this is the perfect venue to appreciate them in their entirety. There's also optional commentary. Definitely worth a watch/listen.

There are also three public service announcements, created to run in theaters as promotional material before the film's release. Two of them are audience advisories -- one asking the "black folk" not to talk during the show, the other calling for turning off cell phones -- and the other is a recruiting spot for the Reno sheriff's department. They're all short, but sweet.

The blooper reel is also completely new, and a nice addition to the bonus material. The film commentary, however, is recycled from the previous "unrated" release. Other than the commentary that goes with the extended scenes, there's nothing new in that department.

The DVD menus this time around aren't as cleverly designed as the past discs, but by the third go-round it's probably a lot harder to come up with more jokes to squeeze into the release.

Score: 8 out of 10

The Bottom Line If you already have the "Unrated" release of this film, it's hard to justify buying it again for what you get here. The additional deleted scenes make for interesting viewing, sure, but it's probably worth more as a rental than a purchase. If you don't already have Reno 911!: Miami on DVD (and in that case, what kind of fan are you anyway?), then this would be the one to get.